In France, the law on outside action of local authorities highlighted the need to anchor these actions in the framework of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as defined by the United Nations in September 2015. Among these goals, the issue of the economic development of territories is approached through the prism of economic activity and local employment development, in observance of social rights and without damaging the environment. This Meeting will provide an opportunity to share good practices, and to identify obstacles that need to be removed and cornerstones on which a better inclusion of SSE in local authorities' European and international cooperation policies can be based.

How can international cooperation and solidarity be drivers for mutual social innovation in the territories that are involved? What are the modalities of cooperation at work between SSE actors and local authorities in these contexts? These are some of the questions that will guide the discussions during this day of exchanges.

Among the speakers will be Laurence Kwark, Secretary General of GSEF; Adama Sangaré, Mayor of Bamako and GSEF’s Vice President for Africa; and, Aminata Diop Samb, Director General, Municipal Development and Solidarity Fund (FODEM), City of Dakar. In her presentation of Dakar's experience, Ms Samb will present the ongoing momentum for the creation of an inclusive ecosystem aiming at further developing the SSE at both national and local levels. This dynamics was initiated on the occasion of the national capacity-building training held from 1-3 May 2019 in Saly (Senegal).

This conference will be concluded by an official signing ceremony marking RTES' accession to membership of GSEF. RTES currently brings together over 130 local authorities (regional councils, departmental councils, metropolitan regions, inter-municipality associations and municipalities) committed to the development of SSE in their territories. GSEF is pleased to welcome RTES into its network and looks forward to strengthening the cooperation between our two organizations.